Objective To explore the mechanism of Juanxiao decoction in regulating type 3 innate lymphoid cells(ILC3s)in treating obese asthma.Methods Sixty male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into a normal group,model group(high-fat diet+OVA),Juanxiao decoction groups(low,middle,and high doses of 8.5,17,and 34 g/kg,respectively),and dexamethasone group(1 mg/kg)with 10 mice in each group.Except for the normal group,the other groups were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks,and OVA sensitization by inhalation of an atomized OVA solution was used to establish the obese asthma model.From the first inhalation,the low-,medium-,and high-dose groups of Juanxiao decoction and the dexamethasone group were administered corresponding drugs by gavage,whereas normal and model groups were administered equal amounts of saline by gavage for 7 days.The state of mice and changes in typical symptoms of obese asthma were observed.At 24 hours after the last challenge,a fully automated biochemical analyzer was used to assess four blood lipids and count inflammatory cells in alveolar lavage fluid(BALF).Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe morphological changes in lung tissue and abdominal fat.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to measure the immunoglobulin E in BALF and serum,and interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-13,and mouse thymus activation regulating chemokine(CCL17)in lung tissue.IL-17A+ILC3 and IL-22+ILC3 in lung tissue and peripheral blood were analyzed by flow cytometry.Western blot was used to detect expression of P-STAT3 protein in lung tissue.Results Compared with the normal group,model group mice showed infiltration of airway inflammatory cells and thickening of airway walls.However,compared with the model group,lung inflammation in dexamethasone and Juanxiao decoction groups was improved,especially in middle-and high-dose groups.Compared with the normal group,IL-1β,IL-17A+ILC3,IL-13,and CCL17 in lung tissue of the model group were significantly increased(P＜0.05),whereas the proportion of IL-22+ILC3 and expression of P-STAT3 were significantly decreased(P＜0.01,P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,IL-1β,IL-17A+ILC3,IL-13,and CCL17 in lung tissue were significantly decreased and the proportion of IL-22+ILC3 and expression of P-STAT3 were significantly increased in middle-and high-dose Juanxiao decoction groups(P＜0.05,P＜0.01,P＜0.001).Conclusions Juanxiao decoction improves the inflammatory environment of obese asthmatic mice and alleviates lung inflammatory and allergic reactions.Its mechanism may be related to regulating secretion of cytokines by ILC3s.

ObjectiveTo observe the regulatory effects of Yiqi Wenyang Huwei decoction （YWHD） on autophagy and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B（Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway in asthmatic rats and bronchial epithelial cells （16HBE） and further reveal the mechanism of YWHD in treating bronchial asthma （BA）. MethodForty-eight rats were randomly assigned into normal group， model group， dexamethasone group， and low-， medium-， and high-dose YWHD groups， with 8 rats in each group. The rat model of BA was established by intraperitoneal injection with ovalbumin （OVA） + aluminum hydroxide suspension and atomizing inhalation with OVA for 2 weeks. The normal group was administrated with an equal dose of normal saline. The bronchial maximum airway resistance （Max Rrs） induced by methacholine chloride （Mch） was determined by an animal lung function evaluation system. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to measure the levels of interleukin （IL）-4， IL-13， IL-6， IL-33， IL-25， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and immunoglobulin E （IgE） in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Masson staining were used for observation of the pathological changes of bronchi in the lung tissue. The immunofluorescence assay was employed to measure the levels of the autophagy-associated proteins LC3B and Beclin1. The IL-13-induced autophagy of 16HBE cells exposed to the YWHD-containing serum was observed， and the autophagy level was traced by mRFP-GFP-LC3 adenovirus infection. The protein levels of LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ， p-PI3K， p-Akt and p-mTOR were determined by Western blot. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed increased Max Rrs （P<0.01） and elevated levels of IL-4， IL-13， IL-6， IL-33， IL-25， TNF-α， and IgE in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The modeling caused focal infiltration of inflammatory cells and lymphocytes around bronchus and blood vessels， epithelial goblet cell metaplasia， and increased subepithelial collagen deposition. Furthermore， it up-regulated the protein levels of LC3B and Beclin1 （P<0.01）， promoted the autophagy flux of GFP to mRFP in 16HBE cells induced by IL-13， down-regulated the protein levels of p-PI3K， p-Akt， and p-mTOR， and increased the LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， medium- and high-dose YWHD decreased Max Rrs （P<0.01）， lowered the levels of IL-4， IL-13， IL-6， IL-33， IL-25， TNF-α， and IgE in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and reduced lymphocyte and granulocyte infiltration in bronchi of the lung tissue， epithelial goblet cell metaplasia， and subepithelial collagen deposition. Moreover， they down-regulated the protein levels of LC3B and Beclin1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased the autophagy flux of GFP to mRFP， up-regulated the protein levels of p-PI3K， p-Ak， and p-mTOR， and decreased the LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionYWHD ameliorates airway hyperresponsiveness and airway inflammation and inhibits the autophagy of airway epithelial cells in the lung tissue of BA rats by activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.